Hanging By A Moment
by heeha
Summary: Poor Harry Potter attends Hogwarts Academy, a school for the rich. Harry hopes to get by school unnoticed and unscathed. However, his hopes are dashed when he soon draws the attention of Tom Riddle, the leader of Slytherin Four. With Tom's attention focused solely on him, Harry must try to survive his school days under Tom's abusive hand. Hana Yori Dango AU, Tom/Harry
1. Introducing S4

Author's Notes: This first chapter may be revised later on. This is just currently what I have come up with so far. I'm not sure I'm going to continue this just yet. It depends on the feedback I get and how well I can come up with ideas for this story. I hope you enjoy this first chapter.

Hanging By A Moment

By heeha

Chapter 1

Hogwarts Academy is a school for the wealthiest kids in Britain. The students who attend wear tailored, designer clothes and carry tailored, designer handbags and jewelry. So what am I, poor Harry Potter, doing outside of such a school?

Well, I attend this school too, unfortunately. I got in on a scholarship.

My guardian, Sirius Black, was overjoyed upon hearing the news, and insisted that I attend Hogwarts Academy instead of all the other schools I got into.

"Hogwarts is the best of the best," he'd said. "Universities favour students who come from Hogwarts. You'll have a much easier time getting into the university of your choice if you attend Hogwarts."

And so that was that. I'm currently attending Hogwarts Academy, a school for the rich and….well, super-rich.

I gaze up at said school, watching the rich kids make their way inside before making my way inside too.

Sometimes I wish I was attending a normal school for normal kids like me. But then I don't want to risk not getting into a university I'd like to attend later on, so I guess I just have to suck it up and attend this prestigious school.

The sides of the hallway are crowded with chattering students flashing their _Ollivander_ backpacks. It's a stark contrast to my normal, grungy black backpack Sirius bought me from some random store, but I don't really care. I never expected to fit in with the kids at school, and from the looks of it, I never will. And that's fine with me. All I have to do is keep a low profile during my time at Hogwarts Academy, and I should be okay.

That can't be too difficult to do, can it? I mean, I know I sort of stand out with my inferior backpack and clothes, but as long as I don't do anything to get myself particularly noticed, I'm good. Because it's the ones who get noticed who end up quitting and leaving the school.

Get noticed by whom, you ask?

S4. Aka. Slytherin Four.

Slytherin Four is composed of, as you might have guessed, four individuals: Tom Riddle, Draco Malfoy, Cedric Diggory, and Viktor Krum (1). Each member comes from wealthy, influential families. Tom Riddle's family monopolize the market in rare, expensive objects and jewelry. Draco Malfoy's father is a rich, well-known businessman who has many, many connections. Cedric Diggory's father is the head of Britain's police department. And Viktor Krum's family run _Krum Airlines_, a very successful airline business with planes that travel all over the world.

Each of these students' families has contributed large sums of money to the school, so they can do practically whatever-the-hell they want without getting expelled. Which is bad for the ones who cross S4, or Tom Riddle in particular, the leader of the group.

The ones who cross S4 get a red card with the letters S4 written on it. Some asshole (and it is _always_ some asshole) eventually finds out that you have the red card and broadcasts it to the whole school.

And then what happens?

After the asshole announces your red card to the whole school, the whole student body torments you and makes your school life a living hell. This is why the ones who get noticed by S4 end up quitting and leaving the school. They simply can't take the abuse from the student body anymore.

This is why I'm perfectly happy going unnoticed and generally being a nobody. Because nobody knows a nobody, so a nobody like me won't get targeted by S4. Or at least, that's what I hope.

I make my way towards my locker, opening it and shoving my backpack into the locker before closing it. I'm just about to head towards my classroom when I hear it.

"S4! S4! S4! S4!" So the boys have arrived.

I stand by my locker, watching as Tom Riddle, Draco Malfoy, Cedric Diggory, and Viktor Krum pass by. The chanting of "S4!" from the student body doesn't stop as they slowly walk down the hallway. It's quite sickening, really, seeing most of the student body suck up and cater to them, but it can't be helped. This is the way the world works.

"We love you, S4!" I hear girls _and boys_ scream at them as they pass by.

"Marry me, Tom!" screams a girl from the crowd.

"I love you, Draco!" screams another girl. This sort of adoration towards S4 is common among the student body. Why? I have no idea. But I have a theory that my fellow students are masochists, because the same S4 they know and love can turn on them in an instant and ruin their lives the minute they step out of line and piss S4 off. But none of them take this into consideration, or if they do, they apparently don't care, because they continue to shower S4 with love and adoration.

The love and adoration for S4 drags on as I continue to stand by and watch them. Suddenly, Tom stops in front of a boy who looks petrified at drawing Tom's attention.

"What is that?' Tom asks, pointing to something the boy is apparently holding in his left hand.

"It-it-it's a chocolate fr-frog," the boy stutters. Tom holds out his right hand, and the boy immediately places the chocolate frog into Tom's hand.

"Thank you for the chocolate frog," says Tom, smirking at the boy.

"N-n-no problem," stutters the boy, who just lost one of the finest treats Britain has to offer. I shake my head and sigh after seeing the boy give in so easily to Tom before making my way to my classroom. I don't want to stick around and watch Tom pick on the other students, lest I suddenly become a target of his bullying.

Some would call me a coward for not sticking up to Slytherin Four. And those people would most certainly be right. I am being a coward by letting S4 bully everybody around without doing anything to stop them. But what can I do? S4 have too much power over the school. Everything I do can be jeopardized by them, and then all my effort would be wasted.

I'm better off lying low, remaining invisible to the student body and to S4. It may be cowardly, but it's also smart. And playing things the smart way is the only way to stay safe in Hogwarts Academy.

With that thought in mind, I enter my classroom, intent on doing my best in school and staying out of the way of S4.

End Notes:

(1) I know Cedric and Krum aren't in Slytherin. For the purposes of this story, Slytherin is just a name the quartet calls themselves.


	2. Friendship

Author's Notes: So here's the next chapter of HBAM. I may revise this later too; this is just what I've come up with so far, again. I guess everything may be revised later on if I see fit. Anyway, hope you enjoy. Not much happens, but it's only the second chapter, so yeah. Enjoy! ^^

Hanging By A Moment

By heeha

Chapter 2

Lunch time rolls around as I pack up my books and head out the door of my English class. I join the sea of students entering the hallways, making a beeline for the lunch room. Once I get there, I sit down at a small table for two. Opening up my bag, I take out the ham sandwiches Sirius made for me and start eating, taking small bites out of the sandwich.

I'm just about finished one sandwich when someone approaches my table.

"Excuse me. Is anyone sitting there?" he asks, pointing to the empty seat in front of me.

"No, go right ahead," I say, and he sits down across from me.

"I'm Ron Weasley, by the way," he says as he takes out his expensive-looking lunch box.

"Harry Potter," I reply, watching as he opens up his lunch box and takes out a hamburger. Hm. A hamburger. That's pretty average food. But if it comes from him, it's probably been made by one of the finest chefs in England.

"Nice to meet you, Harry," says Ron. "Have you taken a look at my hamburger? It comes from _House Elves_, one of the finest restaurants in Britain!" Bingo. Of course it does. Of course it does.

"How much does it cost?" I ask, curious.

"Five hundred pounds each!" Ron exclaims, and I gape at him. Five hundred pounds for one burger?! That's crazy!

I voice my thoughts out loud, and Ron laughs.

"It's not crazy when it comes from _House Elves_," he says, smiling at me. "Would you like to try some?"

"Sure," I say, and he cuts a small piece of his burger for me with the fork and knife set on the table. I put the piece of burger in my mouth, and instantly I can tell why this burger costs five hundred pounds.

"It's good, isn't it?" says Ron, smirking at me.

"It's very good," I reply.

"Worth five hundred pounds?" he asks.

"Definitely," I say, and he smiles back at me.

"Would you like some more?" he asks.

"No thanks," I reply, and I watch as he continues to eat the rest of his burger with a fork and knife.

"So Harry, what year are you in?" Ron asks between bites of his burger.

"Fourth year," I answer.

"Same here!" Ron exclaims. "Funny, I've never seen you in any of my classes though. I guess we don't have any classes together."

"Guess not," I reply, "but we can still be friends, right?"

"Definitely. I like you," Ron says, grinning.

"I like you too," I say, smiling back, and a comfortable silence settles between us as Ron finishes his burger. Once he's done, we both get our things and stand up from the table. I lead us to the school's fire escape, pushing open the door and stepping out onto the landing.

"You hang out here often?" Ron asks.

"Yeah," I reply. "It's my only escape when S4 comes around."

"Ah! S4! Those bastards!" exclaims Ron. "If I wasn't so afraid of them, I'd teach them a lesson!"

"You and me both, Ron. You and me both," I say, smiling, and suddenly I find myself liking Ron a lot more now.

"I wish somebody would stand up to them," Ron says quietly, gazing out into the distance. "It's terrible, what they do to targeted individuals."

"I know," I reply. "But who wants to stand up to S4 and become a target themselves? It's not very smart."

"It's not smart, but it's brave," says Ron.

"Bravery counts for nothing when you're being pushed around and pelted with eggs by the rest of the student body," I retort.

"I know," Ron says. "Just sayin'." Another silence settles between us as I look at Ron, who continues to stare at the vast expanse of city below us.

"S4 ARE A BUNCH OF RETARDED LITTLE SHITHEADS!" Ron suddenly shouts. I stare at him, raising my eyebrows at his outburst. "RETARDED LITTLE SHITHEADS! RETARDED LITTLE SHITHEADS!" he chants.

"What are you doing?" I ask. If somebody else hears him, he could get throttled.

"Bashing S4 from the only safe place in school," Ron replies matter-of-factly. "C'mon! You say it! It's fun!" He grins at me, and I grin back. I turn my body towards the city and shout out exactly what Ron shouted. The act gives me a pleasant rush in its tiny rebellion against the S4. The only rebellion I can make against them. And suddenly I feel more like myself, righteous Harry Potter, who always used to stand up against the unjust. Where has that Harry been lately?

Oh, that's right. That Harry has been replaced by smart Harry, who's going to lie low for as long as I can help it.

The bell rings, and Ron and I say our goodbyes before he leaves through the door first. I head towards the door too, opening it, when I hear a little cough.

I freeze. SHIT. Is somebody down there? I let go of the door and slowly take a few steps down the fire escape before stopping, staring at the body in front of me.

Sitting down further along the fire escape is none other than Cedric Diggory. Double shit. He looks at me, eyebrows raised. "Retarded little shitheads, are we?" he says. Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK! We are _so_ dead!

I can find no words to reply him as our impending doom looms in my mind. He chuckles, and I guess my anxiety shows on my face because he says, "Don't worry. I won't tell Tom what you said about S4." He puts a finger to his lips. "Your secret's safe with me."

What? Isn't he mad at us?

"Aren't you mad that we bashed you guys?" I ask.

"Not really," Cedric says. "Just don't do that ever again. If somebody else heard you, you'd really be in trouble."

"Right. Thanks," I say, relieved.

"What's your name?" he asks, and I don't know whether or not I should tell him my name. But he seems nice enough, so I guess it can't hurt.

"Harry Potter," I say, holding out my hand. He shakes it, saying his name in turn.

"Well, I better get going. Class is starting," I say, turning to leave. "Bye, Cedric."

"Bye, Harry," he replies, and I make my way up the stairs, opening the door.

I never expected to get off scot-free as I did with Cedric, but I guess he's different from the rest of S4.

And as I head towards my next class, I can't help thinking about how handsome Cedric Diggory looks.


	3. Losing Anonymity

Author's Notes: So here's Chapter Three of HBAM. As always, things may be revised later on if I see fit. I hope you enjoy.

Hanging By A Moment

By heeha

Chapter 3

The hallways are buzzing with chatter as I walk past my fellow students to my locker. The day is almost over, with just two classes left to go before it's time to go home. Now, if everything goes by as quietly as it has been today, I can leave the school in peace for once.

"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM GOT A RED CARD!" someone suddenly shouts, breaking the peace.

And then it begins.

All the students suddenly stop what they are doing and start marching towards where Neville probably is. I follow them silently, coming to a stop when I see Neville Longbottom, standing in the middle of the crowd, drenched from head to toe.

I poke someone in front of me, and he turns his head around to look at me.

"What did he do?" I ask.

"He bumped into Tom and accidentally spilled water onto Tom's clothes during lunch time," the boy says.

An accident. How unfortunate.

I look on as my fellow students push soaking-wet Neville around, causing him to lose his balance and fall on his butt onto the floor.

They're on him in seconds, stepping on his body, jeering at him.

"Help! Somebody! Help me!" cries Neville. But nobody moves to help him. When they finally back away from Neville, his uniform is all crinkled and dirty. I feel sorry for Neville, but there's nothing I can do to help him. I would just become the school's next target.

I turn away from the scene, ready to leave, when I hear screams.

"Ah! It's S4!" I turn back around, and there they are. Walking down the hall towards the scene are Tom, Draco, Cedric, and Krum, with Tom leading the way. Everybody moves aside as they make their way towards where Neville lies.

"Had enough yet, Neville?" inquires Tom, staring down at the poor boy.

"Yes," snivels Neville. "Please, make it stop. I'm sorry, Tom. I'm sorry."

"Does everybody think he's had enough yet?" Tom says to the crowd.

"No!" the crowd booms, and suddenly someone splashes Neville in a yellow liquid. Ew. I think that's piss.

Tom backs away from Neville, pinching his nose. "Now this is truly vile," he says. "Get out of my sight before I call the janitors to clean you up." Neville immediately starts running away from the crowd, sobbing.

"S4! S4! S4! S4!" the crowd chants, and that's when I take my cue to leave the scene. I turn my back towards S4 and walk away from them, heading towards my next class.

When I look back at S4 before I turn the corner, I see Cedric Diggory staring at me. Then I see Tom looking at Cedric, then turning and looking at me, and our eyes meet. I hold Tom's gaze for several moments before breaking eye contact with him. I turn and disappear around the corner, away from Cedric, away from S4, and away from Tom Riddle.

* * *

I didn't expect to meet him here, in the bathroom of all places, but lo and behold, here he is. Washing his hands in the sink next to mine is none other than Tom Riddle. I want to get out of here fast, so I quickly finish up my hand washing and take a few paper towels to dry my hands. I'm almost out of the washroom door when I hear Tom say, "Wait." Dammit. I was almost free!

Slowly, I turn around to face Tom. "Yes?" I ask.

"You're the boy Cedric was looking at earlier," Tom states. I stare at Tom, saying nothing, hoping he doesn't pry into my interaction with Cedric. "What's your name?" he asks.

I don't want to tell Tom Riddle, of all people, my name, but I fear that if I lie to him and he finds out that I lied, he'll red card me and make my school life a living hell, just like he's done with everybody he's given a red card to. I guess this means I'll just have to tell him the truth.

"My name's Harry Potter," I say slowly. I hope I didn't just give myself a death sentence.

"Harry Potter," Tom repeats, and I nod in confirmation.

"Why was Cedric so interested in you?" Tom asks.

"Beats me," I say, shrugging. Maybe Cedric was thinking about my little act of rebellion at the fire escape while everybody was tormenting Neville. But of course, I'm not going to tell Tom that. I'm not that stupid.

Tom stares at me, as if he's assessing what I said. I hope he can't, but maybe he can tell that I'm lying. I have to get out of here – fast – before I screw things up and get on Tom's bad side.

"Well, I better get back to class," I say, turning my back towards Tom and slowly walking towards the door. At the door, I pause and turn my head around to face him. "Bye," I say.

"I'll see you around, Harry Potter," Tom says, like a promise. And as I walk out the door and head back to my class, I hope to God I don't run into Tom ever again. One false move in his presence on my part, and I could be the next Neville Longbottom, something I hope never happens.

Unfortunately, it appears that my time going unnoticed by S4 is up. I've now garnered the attention of not only Cedric Diggory, but also Tom Riddle. And it's all Cedric's fault, even though he appears to be a nice guy, for being at the fire escape when Ron and I decided to act like idiots and bash S4 for the whole city to hear, and for expressing interest in me while in Tom's presence. Why he would bother looking at me while Tom and the rest of the school were bullying Neville, I'll never know. One thing's for sure now though: I can no longer lie low, now that Tom knows who I am.


	4. Trouble

Author's Notes: Thank you to everybody who's reviewed so far. It's nice to receive feedback on my work. Now, here's chapter four! Hope you enjoy! ^^

Hanging By A Moment

By heeha

Chapter 4

A week has passed since Neville Longbottom was bullied by S4, and since then, no one has seen him anywhere on campus. I guess he quit our school, too scared to return because of the torment he would continue to receive by S4 and everybody else if he stayed. His decision is no different from everybody else who's been targeted by S4 though; all of them transferred to another school after going through the bullying that comes with S4's red card.

I sigh at the antics of S4. I wish I could do something about all of this bullying, but I don't know what I can do. I don't want to become a target myself, which is sure to happen if I speak out against S4. Until I can think of something more productive to do to stop S4's bullying, I have no choice but to watch from the sidelines.

I walk towards my locker, opening it up and taking out my books for my next class. After tugging my math textbook out of the top shelf and putting it into my bag, I close my locker, locking it and turning the dial of the lock to zero. Hoisting my bag over my shoulders, I begin to walk towards Ron's locker, hoping to have a nice chat with him before class starts.

When I reach Ron's locker, I see him animatedly talking to a bushy-haired girl. He's too engrossed in his conversation with her to notice me, so I tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. Ron turns towards me, smiling upon seeing me.

"Hi Harry! How's it goin'?" he asks. Before I can reply, he points his thumb towards his friend and says, "This is Hermione Granger. She's our age, but she's a year ahead of us because she's brilliant."

"Oh Ron, stop making me blush," says Hermione, her face a little pink. She turns towards me and sticks out her hand for a handshake. "Hermione Granger," she says, smiling at me. "Nice to meet you."

"Harry Potter," I say, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you too."

Hermione turns towards Ron and quietly says, "Is this who you were with when you were bashing S4 at the fire escape?"

Ron nods and slings an arm around my shoulder. "Yep. This is him." He grins at Hermione, who frowns at Ron.

"You guys should be more careful," she says. "You would have gotten into some serious trouble if someone had heard you."

"But no one heard us, Hermione, so it's okay," says Ron. I cough and look at Ron, wondering if I should correct him.

"What?" Ron asks, turning to look at me.

"Cedric was actually further down the fire escape while we were screaming our lungs out," I say. Ron's eyes widen and his mouth falls open in horror at my news. I laugh at his reaction, so similar to my own, and pat his shoulder. "Don't worry. He's not like the rest of S4. He promised not to tell Tom what we were doing at the fire escape." Ron lets out a sigh of relief.

"Good thing he's not like the rest of S4, or we'd be in deep shit – possibly literally!" exclaims Ron.

"Which is precisely why you guys should be more cautious next time," chides Hermione. "You're lucky it was Cedric and not Tom who was listening in on your idiocy."

"Well, it may have been stupid, but it sure was fun, right, Harry?" Ron says, grinning.

"Yeah, it was fun," I admit, grinning back at Ron. Hermione rolls her eyes at us.

"Boys," she says.

Suddenly, the bell rings. I say goodbye to Ron and Hermione and head towards my math class. Along the way, I spot Tom amidst a small crowd of students. However, I don't pause to see what's going on, as I'm already running late. Instead, I walk up the stairs to the third floor, where my math class is, wondering which poor soul has offended Tom now.

When I enter my math class, the room is buzzing with chatter.

"Hey, did you hear?" I overhear someone say as I sit down at my desk. "Tom received a love letter."

A love letter? Is that what that crowd around Tom was about?

"Who sent him the love letter?" someone else asks.

Before I get to hear who was crazy enough to send Tom a love letter, the teacher walks in and says, "Settle down, everyone. Class is starting now." Everyone sits back down in their seats, and for the next hour, I listen to my teacher babble on and on about parabolas.

* * *

"Make sure you do problems one to ten for homework," my math teacher says.

Suddenly, the bell rings, signalling the end of class. My math teacher dismisses us and I pack up my books, heading out the door and making my way towards my locker. Once at my locker, I put my books inside and take out my backpack, which has my lunch in it. I shut my locker and lock it, making sure the dial is set to zero again, before making my way to the lunch room.

"Oi! Harry!" I hear Ron yell, and I turn my head in the direction of his voice. I still don't see him, however, so I continue walking in the direction I heard his voice before I see a hand waving in the air. Looking at its owner, I spot Ron sitting at a table with Hermione, and I make my way over to their table, sitting down in the empty chair in front of Ron.

"Hi Harry," says Hermione, and I greet her in return as I take out my sandwiches. I take a bite out of one of my sandwiches before filling Ron and Hermione in on Tom's love letter.

"A love letter?" says Hermione. "Who sent Tom a love letter?"

"I don't know," I reply. "I didn't get to hear who the sender was. My teacher walked in and started the class."

"It's gotta be a guy," says Ron.

"Why's that?" Hermione asks.

"Because you have to have balls to be sending Tom Riddle a love letter," says Ron. Hermione rolls her eyes.

"Girls can have balls too, Ron," she says matter-of-factly.

"No they can't," says Ron, grinning. "Only guys have balls." Hermione smacks Ron upside the head.

"You know what I mean," she says as Ron rubs his head. I chuckle at their antics. The two of them make quite the pair.

When everyone finishes their lunch, we all get up and make our way towards the trash can. I get there first, seeing as how I only have to carry plastic wrap, and dump my plastic wrap into the trash can before turning around and watching Hermione and Ron come over, carrying their trays with them.

Then it's as if I'm watching everything in slow motion as I see Ron suddenly walk into Tom Riddle, splattering his leftover soup all over the front of Tom's shirt. Oh no. Ron gasps and immediately starts apologizing to Tom.

"Do you know how expensive this shirt is?" Tom asks menacingly. Ron shakes his head. "Twenty thousand pounds. Ruined by you."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Ron blubbers.

"I can't wear this anymore," says Tom, and he takes off his shirt, exposing his bare chest. "What will you do if I catch pneumonia?"

"I'm sorry, Tom! I'm sorry!" apologizes Ron. "I'll pay for the cleaning costs."

"The cleaning costs?" says Tom. "What makes you think I want this shirt now that it's been sullied by you?"

Ron whimpers as Tom presses forward, and I can't bear to watch them anymore.

"STOP IT!" I yell, and suddenly all eyes are on me.

"Please forgive him," I plead. "He didn't mean to ruin your shirt. It was an accident." Tom takes ominous steps towards me, and I have to resist the urge to take steps backwards as he closes in on me.

"Accidents get you the red card," says Tom. "Defending those who cause accidents gets you the red card. Do you want a red card, Harry Potter?"

I shake my head. "No," I reply, "but Ron – my friend – he didn't mean it. Please forgive him. Please." Tom stares at me silently for several moments.

Finally, Tom says, "You and your friend can expect the red card very, very soon." Then he turns and walks away, carrying his soiled shirt on his back with one hand.

I make my way over to Ron, who looks white as a sheet.

"We're doomed, aren't we?" says Ron. I say nothing in response, knowing that what Ron says is true. We're both doomed.

I shudder, thinking about the days ahead for me and Ron. Our peaceful times at Hogwarts are up. Now, it's time for Ron and me to face our own personal hells.


	5. Evasion

Author's Notes: Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far. I've had a bit of a rough time writing these next chapters, hence the slow updates. I still have writer's block, so I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out. Not much happens in this chapter. Now I'll shut up now and let you read. Hope you enjoy!

Hanging By A Moment

By heeha

Chapter 5

I've never dreaded going to school more than I do now. Maybe I should stay at home. That way, I can avoid all the bullying I'm sure to face starting today. But then I need to go to class to keep up with my school work, or else I'll fall behind. Damn. I guess there goes that idea.

I let out a sigh at my predicament, slowly trudging my body towards school. I take longer than usual because I'm delaying the inevitable for as long as I can.

After what seems like twenty minutes, but really is only ten, I reach Hogwarts Academy. I join the sea of students filing inside the school, taking my time to walk inside and probably pissing off the people behind me for being so slow. But I don't care. They'll just have to suck it up and wait for me to finish ambling along because I'm not walking any faster towards my own doom.

Once I'm inside the school, I pause. Should I really go to my locker and open it up, only to find the red slip of doom waiting to be seen by everyone? Or should I skip going to my locker entirely, bypassing the reveal and possibly saving myself from imminent torture?

Option two sounds a lot better than option one, so I skip going to my locker and head straight to class. Upon arriving, I sit down at a desk and pull out my textbook, a few pieces of paper, and my pencil case. Then I sit and wait for class to start, watching as the other students slowly enter the classroom and take a seat where there are seats empty.

The bell soon rings, and class begins. As the teacher talks, I pay careful attention to my surroundings, noting that everyone seems to be paying attention to the teacher. This is good, because it means that nobody is going to take the time to harass me during the lecture, either because they're too busy listening to the lecture, or because they don't know that I have a red card. Hopefully, it's the latter rather than the former.

Actually, I think it is because they don't know that I have a red card. Usually, people wouldn't let a lecture stop them from harassing the poor red-carded student. So I'm only safe as long as nobody knows that I have a red card stuck neatly in my locker.

The lesson soon ends, and I pack all of my things into my bag before getting up and heading towards my next class. Upon arriving to the classroom, I sit down at a random desk near the back of the room and take out my things. Class soon starts, and again, I'm met with no trouble at all from my peers as the lesson goes on. They really don't know that I have a red card tagged neatly in my locker. I guess that's because no loudmouth has announced it to the school yet, but one is sure to let the whole world know as soon as he or she feasts their eyes on my red card. I guess I'll just have to keep my locker shut for the rest of the year.

After an hour and a half of listening to my teacher ramble on about Hamlet, class ends, and I make my way towards Ron's locker, waiting for him so we can eat lunch together. But after five minutes pass, then fifteen, and I still don't see Ron, I conclude that Ron must be skipping school so he doesn't have to face his red card.

Disappointed that he's not here, I make my way towards the lunch room alone, taking a seat at one of the fancy small tables for two. Opening up my bag, I take out my ham sandwiches and begin eating. As I eat, I watch everybody around me, wondering if somebody is suddenly going to come up and attack me. But no one does. Everybody minds their own business and, thankfully, leaves me alone.

When I finish eating, I get up and make my way over towards the garbage can. I dump my plastic wrap in the can, and when I turn around, Tom Riddle is standing right in front of me.

"You look fine," he says, eyes giving me a once-over to check the state of my body.

"That's because I am fine," I say, backing up a bit so I don't stand too close to him.

Tom narrows his eyes. "What happened to the red card I gave you and your friend?"

I shrug. "It's probably still there," I say nonchalantly, "but I haven't bothered to check."

"I see," says Tom. "I suppose you think you've outsmarted me."

"Have I?" I ask, raising one of my eyebrows.

"Not by a long shot," says Tom. He takes steps closer to me until we're only a few inches apart, and I have to resist the urge to take a step back. "There are other ways to make you miserable. Having the whole school find out that you have a red card is just one way of getting you on the path to misery."

"Oh yeah?" I say. "What other ways are there? You seem to favour the whole school-ganging-up-on-you method."

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" says Tom. "You'll just have to wait and see." Tom smirks at me. "Suffice to say, your days are numbered, Harry Potter."

"I think you're bluffing," I say, staring at Tom defiantly. "Without the whole school backing you, you can't torture your targets as easily as you could with the student body's support."

"Oh, but who says I don't have the whole school backing me?" asks Tom. "You seem to think a red card is the only means of garnering the student body's support. That couldn't be further from the truth. The red card works because I have the student body's support already, not because they support the red card."

"Bring it on then," I say. "I won't run."

Tom leans forward until his lips are at my ear.

"Oh, you won't be running by the time I'm through with you," he whispers. "You'll wish you were dead instead." Then he draws back away from me, a smug smirk plastered on his face. "Let the games begin, Harry Potter. I'm going to have fun crushing you like a bug."

"We'll see about that," I say defiantly. Then I turn my back towards him and start heading out of the lunchroom. I don't turn to look back at him. Instead, I walk straight out of the lunch room and head towards the fire escape, my safe haven.

Upon arriving at the fire escape, I see Cedric Diggory sitting by the railing, staring into the distance. Slowly, his head turns towards me, and he waves upon seeing me. I wave my hand back at him and take a seat next to him.

"I hear Tom gave you a red card," says Cedric. I gape at him. How does he know that?!

"Tom told me himself," he says, as if reading my mind. Right. Of course Tom would tell the rest of S4 who he red-cards.

"You won't tell anybody else, will you?" I ask.

"No," says Cedric. "But I do wonder how you've managed to escape being tormented by the whole school. Nobody's been able to do that before."

"I didn't open my locker," I tell him. "I figured, if I don't open my locker, no one will see and know about my red card, so nobody will do anything to me."

"Smart move," says Cedric, "but I think Tom has other ways of getting to you. You should be careful and watch out."

"Don't worry," I say, rolling up my sleeve and flexing my right bicep. "I'm tough, like a weed."

Cedric laughs and pats my head. "Of course you are." I scowl at him.

"You don't sound convinced," I say accusingly.

Cedric smiles and says, "Oh, I'm convinced. I just think your action is cute."

"Oh," I say, feeling a blush coming on. Cedric chuckles and stands up just as the bell rings, signalling lunch is over.

"Well, we better head back to class," he says. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See you," I say, and he turns and exits through the door. I stand up as well and follow after him, heading towards my next class.

And as I make my way towards my next class, I think that maybe having a red card isn't so bad after all as long as I have Cedric Diggory as a friend through it all.


End file.
